Office visualization instruments make the world go spherical, and will certainly brighten up your before-lunch presentation. In case you’ve acquired onerous numbers to show to the lots, or graph-scribed projections you’re desperate to get onscreen, you’ll want a strong spreadsheet. You may use Google Sheets, or you possibly can use Microsoft Excel — they’re each nice methods to get the job carried out. However which of those two platforms is actually the best choice? That is dependent upon a lot of issues, and we’re not right here to dissuade or encourage, however merely to tell.
We really love Google Sheets and Excel, however for various causes. One software program will not be ultimate for A, B, and C, though it could be actually good at D, E, and F. Regardless of the case could also be, we put collectively this comparability of Google Sheets and Excel, with focus paid to important classes like utility entry, information evaluation, and charts and graphs.
The fundamentals
It’s value stating from the beginning that each Sheets and Excel are glorious spreadsheet purposes. So if in case you have the chance to strive them each out, you’ll have a transparent desire from the beginning. However should you’re doing all your analysis first, simply know that you could’t go improper with both.
Each Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel have easy-to-use interfaces which might be fairly related to one another. You may navigate utilizing a mouse, or you should utilize Excel’s keyboard shortcuts, simply as you should utilize shortcuts in Google Sheets — every is as simple as the opposite. You may have a menu stuffed with actions throughout the highest, a toolbar or ribbon with instruments under that, after which your sheet stuffed with cells simply ready for information.
It’s what you are able to do with these cells and the info inside them that will make the most important distinction to you. Each purposes supply features, formulation, conditional formatting, information validation, and the opposite fundamental instruments you’d count on. So, let’s check out the variations that stand out.
Software entry
Google Sheets is a web-based utility with a cellular model however no desktop possibility. This makes it simply accessible from most any machine. All workbooks you create are robotically saved to your Google Drive, so that you by no means have to fret about hitting the Save button.
Microsoft Excel is a desktop utility with a cellular model and internet entry as effectively. Whereas Excel for the web doesn’t supply all the identical options as its desktop counterpart, it’s nonetheless an possibility should you use OneDrive. That means, you possibly can entry the spreadsheets out of your Excel desktop utility on the net should you sync them to OneDrive.
Information evaluation
Each purposes supply their very own model of a built-in software that will help you robotically analyze information by asking questions. In Google Sheets, that is the Discover characteristic, and in Excel, it’s the Analyze Information characteristic. Moreover, each purposes present sorting and filtering instruments with superior filters or filter views.
However Excel goes past with further information options. For example, you possibly can carry out a What-If Evaluation with Objective Search or the Situation Supervisor, make a Forecast sheet, create complex pivot tables and accompanying pivot charts, and use a slicer or timeline for superior filtering.
(As of this writing, Google Sheets now helps pivot tables however not pivot charts. Sheets additionally helps including slicers, however solely appears to supply utilizing timelines for certain Google Workspace users.)
Charts and graphs
An necessary a part of a spreadsheet utility for a lot of is the visualization choices. Instruments like charts and graphs may give you or your viewers terrific visuals for analyzing information with out really studying the spreadsheet. Fortunately each purposes supply charts and graphs, however the extent of the instruments differs.
Google Sheets has a superb assortment of easy-to-make graphs and charts. You even have the choice so as to add an robotically generated chart utilizing the Discover characteristic. You may customise your chart and reserve it as a picture outdoors of your sheet.
Microsoft Excel has a a lot bigger selection of charts. You’ll discover extra customization choices and the choice to create a chart template to reuse for consistency. It can save you charts outdoors of your spreadsheet in Excel as effectively.
Sharing and collaborating
If sharing the workload by collaborating in your spreadsheet is crucial, you then’ll recognize Google Sheets’ collaboration options over Excel’s choices.
Each purposes allow you to share your sheet and modify the sharing permissions to permit others to edit the sheet or just view it. And you may share the workbook by way of e mail or a hyperlink.
Google Sheets takes collaboration critically with real-time communications. You can’t solely make feedback however reply, edit, resolve, and have a mini dialog when you work on the sheet concurrently your collaborators.
Microsoft Excel does supply a remark characteristic for working with others. For the desktop app, these feedback are static until you save them to OneDrive. In any other case, it’s essential to use Excel for the online to speak in actual time. Like Sheets, you possibly can reply, edit, and resolve feedback, however completely different variations of Excel could make collaboration difficult.
Value comparability
If price is a consideration, then you might need to look deeper into Google Sheets because it’s a free utility. There are subscription choices for companies and academic accounts in addition to extra storage (keep in mind, your Sheets are saved to your Google Drive).
If you wish to transcend free, Google Workspace plans begin at $6 per 30 days per person with entry to different Google apps and enterprise options, and Google One plans begin at $2 per 30 days for 100GB of storage.
Microsoft Excel will not be free, sadly. In case you subscribe to Microsoft 365, you’ll obtain Excel together with different Workplace purposes like Phrase, PowerPoint, and Outlook. In case you go for Excel by itself, it’ll nonetheless price you a one-time payment. The one-time payment is hefty up entrance, however utilizing the month-to-month subscription will price extra in the long term should you plan on utilizing it for a number of years.
For Excel, you possibly can subscribe to Microsoft 365 with private plans beginning at $7 per 30 days or buy Excel for one PC or Mac for $160. Nonetheless, there are methods that you could use Microsoft Office/365 for free.
Different key variations
There are just a few extra variations to bear in mind when evaluating Google Sheets to Microsoft Excel.
Excel’s desktop model runs easily and masses rapidly irrespective of how massive the workbook or information inside it. Google Sheets can each really feel and cargo slower as you fill increasingly more cells and sheets in a workbook.
Google Sheets’ storage is restricted by the area obtainable in Google Drive, whereas Excel in your desktop can use as a lot area as you’re prepared to supply it.
Google Sheets can accommodate roughly 10 million cells with 200 sheets per workbook, according to Workspace Tips. However Excel can handle billions of cells and 255 sheets per workbook.
What are another options to Google Sheets and Excel?
Google Sheets and Excel are only a few spreadsheet platforms you should utilize. So should you’d wish to function outdoors the field, there’s just a few different purposes and internet instruments you possibly can strive.
Certainly one of them is Airtable, a terrific office collaboration program that makes use of process playing cards as the first group technique. You may even convert playing cards into actionable types, and reap the benefits of many visualizations and formatting features.
In case your office is MacOS-favored, we additionally suggest Apple Numbers. This software program generates spectacular charts based mostly on the stats you enter, and it’s additionally free to make use of.
Is Google Sheets protected to make use of?
As a result of Google Sheets shops your information to Google’s cloud servers, you might be questioning if the spreadsheet software program is protected to make use of. Firstly, any sort you’re utilizing a program that requires web entry, there’s going to be some stage of danger of your machine or account getting hacked.
Happily, Google takes user data very seriously. Everytime you make a brand new file in Google Sheets, it robotically receives end-to-end encryption. And should you resolve you’d wish to obtain your Google Sheets file, it’s solely saved regionally (on no matter machine you’re utilizing).
The underside line
In case you’re involved with price, need wholesome collaboration choices, and wish the power to entry your workbooks from any pc, then Google Sheets is for you.
If you’d like strong information evaluation and visualization instruments, don’t need to depend on an web connection, and are on the lookout for general superior performance, you then’ll want Microsoft Excel.
So, which is able to or not it’s? If you’re planning to change, be sure you know how to convert Excel spreadsheets to Google Sheets.
When you have one other software program choice to make, check out our Google Docs versus Microsoft Word comparability.
